SNAKES
Welcome to the World of
WHAT TO E XP E CT THI S WE E K
This week you will learn all about snakes!!
How they move, what they eat, what eats them, their
reproduction, their habitat and their anatomy and general
biology.
You will also learn the difference between venomous and non-
venomous.
By the end of the week you will know the snakes native to FL.
and if they are harmless or harmful.
There will be hands on projects and observation, web based
assignments, videos, games and group classroom activities.
ANATOMY AND
GENERAL BI OLOGY
Snakes are vertebrates.
They can have 130-500 vertebrae.
Snakes have more ribs than any
other kind of animal.
They have a sense organ on the roof
of their mouth called Jacobsons
Organ. They flick out their tongue
and bring air particles to the organ.
Jacobsons Organ helps them
identify and object as prey or
predator.
Snakes are covered in scales.The top
scales are small and thin and the bottom
scales(underbelly) are large and thick.
Scales are made up of keratin. The same
stuff our fingernails are made out of.
Snakes will continue to grow until the
day they die.
A snake grows by shedding its skin.
When the old skin becomes too small it
will rub against rocks and gravel and
wood to peel off the outer layer.
Their length increases with every shed.
A snake will shed all in one piece
(usually).
A snake will become opaque before
shedding. This is a pre-shed mode.
During this stage a snakes skin and
pattern become dull and grayish and
their senses become dull as well.
Their eyes cloud over and they are
virtually blind. ( This makes a snake
pretty moody because they cant see
as clearly as they normally can.)
If a snake doesn't shed properly it
can cause mutilation or even death.
What Goes Where?
Jacobsons Organ
Venom Gland
Anal Plate
Heat Sensor Pits
HOW DO SNAKES MOVE?
Snakes have 4 basic types of locomotion.
Serpentine or lateral progression: known as slithering. The most
common type of movement.
Rectilinear: Known as inchworm type of movement. Typically
used by large snakes. A snake will move the skin of their
underbelly then pull their body forward.
Sidewinding: A snake will hurl their body in a sideways looping
motion. Usually used by snakes in a desert habitat.
Concertina: The body of the snake forms horizontal loops, their
head stretches out and their body straightens. Some tree snakes
use this method.
sidewinder
movement
serpentine movement
concertina
movement
rectilinear movement
REPRODUCTI ON
Snakes reproduce by method of copulation.
This means they join together.
Snakes can lay eggs or give live birth. Pythons
lay eggs and boas give live birth. Venomous do
both, depending on the species.
There is no definite way to tell between a male
and a female based on sight alone. Almost all
of them look the same.
Some snakes will use anal sent glands to
attract mates, provide protection and mark
territory.
